It's a Small Online World

Tonight was probably the first chance I had to retire to bed earlier than usual... but fuck it. I probably would have konked out 15 minutes early, big deal.

So there I was at another one of these massive group dinners last night. Having first started off in May, the bi-monthly dining events have grown in leaps and bounds. I went to my first one in early June, which included about a dozen diners to one long, cozy table. Monday's dinner at Ouisi Bistro numbered at least 40 attendees.

I waltzed in fashionably late as it has become my habit since my third outing and the place was already hopping. Our group dominated the rear section of the restaurant and there were a scant handful of isolated seats remaining. I picked one of the tables on the elevated platform, away from some of the familiar faces, with the intent to meet some more new faces.

I must have sat there at one end of the table for a good 5 minutes, greeting my adjacent diners, before I did a subtle double-take at the other end. Hmm. Chinese girl, attractive, older... something about her looks so... Oh, boy.

In late June I met a Lz. through a dating site and we met for a first date coffee. Everything was alright after that. I didn't exactly feel the sparks scorching up the air between us, but I had better reserve judgment... right? Truthfully, I had put the shenanigans with W. first and foremost already and wanted to see that through, so I didn't want to put much hope into this thing with Lz. The W. gets pulled out from beneath me and I spend the weeks leading up to my Montreal trip moping around and not thinking about girls. Once I returned, I can't say I had the most burning desire to reconnect with Lz., despite sending her an e-mail telling her how I wanted to meet again, and getting an enthusiastic enough response back from her.

Think it was the last week of July I gave her a call and asked her out for a real date. She was busy and I made plans to call her again... and I never got around to picking up the phone again. Call it lack of motivation or my unfounded bias against "honger"-style women. I just couldn't be bothered to pursue. I was willing to let this one slip away.

In case I haven't yet telegraphed the ending of my story yet, Lz. was at the group dinner, sitting at the other end of my table. She recognized me immediately, even with my glasses on, which puts to rest any debate on whether the Clark Kent/Superman effect really works. She came over, we chatted and the whole situation was suprisingly free of excruciating awkwardness. Seeing her again that night actually rekindled my interest and made me think, "I wonder if I can salvage my oversight".

At night's end, we chatted a bit more and she gave me a hug before encouraging me to find her on MSN to chat. I have never seen her available while online and that she has delusions that we have chatted over MSN in the past leads me to believe she's been going pretty hard on the online dating. My mouth, before I could stop it, one-upped her and promised her a phone call. Oops. Or rather... yay?

I wanted another shot at this girl, right?